Thursday, May 12, 2016

Patrick Stewart keeps a bag of James McAvoy's hair at home in his safe

THE TELEGRAPH
Danny Boyle
12 MAY 2016 • 1:00PM

As far as keepsakes go, it is certainly among the more unusual. But when Sir Patrick Stewart asked for a bag of James McAvoy's hair, he was not joking.

The veteran - and hairless - actor, who is well-known for his off-beat humour, now keeps the younger star's locks in a safe at his home.

McAvoy, who plays the younger version of Sir Patrick's Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise, had to shave his head for the new Apocalypse film.

The 37-year-old took a video call with 75-year-old Sir Patrick while his hair has being cut ahead of filming, so he could "pass on the baldy baton".

During the FaceTime call, Sir Patrick asked if he could have some of McAvoy's hair to keep for himself.

And the director duly obliged, bagging it up and sending it to Sir Patrick, who now keeps it in a safe - which McAvoy confessed he finds "kind of creepy".

McAvoy revealed the gesture as he spoke on The Graham Norton Show about finally going bald for the new Apocalypse film.

He said: "I shaved (my head) months before to see what it would look like and turned up on the shoot with about two month's growth and they were like, 'What have you done?' and I had to have the first of 17-hour hair extensions sessions.

"When we finally shaved it off we decided to FaceTime Patrick Stewart so he could pass on the baldy baton.

"We though it was funny when he asked if he could have some of the hair, but it turns out the director bagged it up for him and he now has all my hair at home in a safe, which is kind of creepy."

Jennifer Lawrence - who plays the blue-tinged, femme fatale Mystique - last year revealed that X-Men: Apocalypse will be her last in the superhero franchise.